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The Longing
Mary Earle’s memoir, The Longing, is a poignant testament to resilience, born out of a desire to shed light on a dark chapter of history that mirrors her own turbulent past. Born in 1947, Mary’s childhood was overshadowed by a dysfunctional family and a father known for his explosive temper. A harrowing incident at fifteen plunged Mary into a world rife with abuse and suffering, threatening to lead her down a path of despair and depression. Her father forbid her to ever speak of this incident, and it becomes locked inside her. Yet, Mary’s spirit remained unbroken. Her story is one of remarkable transformation. In her forties, having escaped a violent marriage, Mary embarked on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment, travelling solo to India. Today, she stands as a beacon of hope and strength, a counsellor and trauma specialist, healer and clairvoyant dedicated to helping others.With an ‘eternally optimistic’ outlook, Mary shares her journey in The Longing, not just as a tale of survival, but as a source of inspiration and courage for anyone striving to overcome their own adversities.
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Heavy Luggage
“My brother Mark and I wake in the night to the sound of gunfire... The open window, with its mosquito-netting casement, allows us to hear male voices speaking outside, hushed and urgent. Then another volley of shots and bullets spray the side of the house. There is a soft thud against the wall above the bed on the opposite side of the room, where a few minutes earlier my brother had been sleeping. At the same time, a loud metallic twang outside is followed by the frightened bray of a donkey. Our donkey!”Whether caught in a war zone in Lebanon, living in a castle in Hong Kong, or coping with extreme heat in a remote Arabian outpost, such experiences were normality for Philippa and her brother. Thought-provoking, humorous and poignant, Heavy Luggage is the extraordinary story of their adventure-filled childhood in the 1950s and 60s as they and their parents travelled on troop ships with the British Army to some of the remotest places on the globe.Offering a glimpse into a bygone era towards the end of British Colonialism, when military families followed the Drum to wherever they were posted, Philippa and Mark take us on a personal voyage, exploring their unconventional upbringing. Their parents’ and grandparents’ similarly remarkable life stories are also woven into this unique memoir that examines a family legacy shaped by history.
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May to May – My Journey to Self-love with God
One of society’s main problems today is a lack of self-love; this is evident in the way most people live their lives – sadly, I was also part of the statistic. The fact that I was not living life to the full bothered me in many ways. I was not running my own race; I constantly compared myself to others; I had not accepted myself for who I was, and I had not taken full responsibility for my life. I was merely alive and confused. Although everything on the outside looked good, I felt miserable. I learned the hard way that what goes on inside us is more important than what people can see. A lack of self-love impacted most areas of my life negatively - I knew something needed to change.Once I had surrendered my life to God, He helped me see my own value. I started May to May – My Journey to Self-love with God to move my life in the right direction. After discovering the 20 components that lead to self-love, my life has never been the same. I could finally accept myself just as I was. I am proud to say there is no other race I would rather run than my own. I needed to love myself first, so I could truly live.
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Back in Three Months
Join us on a true story of a seven-year cruise from Norwich to Africa aboard a 25-year-old motor cruiser. The decision to sacrifice a comfortable middle-aged life for an impractical and seemingly impossible dream led to many ups and downs, much humour, some drama, and even tragedy. This isn’t a tale of heroics or ocean crossings, but rather the story of two ordinary people who find themselves in a variety of unexpected situations, striving to cope with whatever life throws at them.The book traces their 1,000-mile journey through the French waterways from Dunkerque to Séte on the Mediterranean. The serene beauty of the rivers and canals was breathtaking, culminating in a winter spent with a small, quirky international boating community in Provence, where they participated in some unexpected activities.The following spring brought their first taste of the Mediterranean Sea. Wild and unpredictable, it was far from the flat calm pond they had imagined. They encountered rough seas, thick fog, pirates, tsunamis, Spanish paratroopers, and even the French Foreign Legion. A near-death experience and abandoning ships in a marina were certainly not part of their plan. However, the variety of people they met, the places they visited, and the incredible sights of large pods of dolphins, whales, turtles, and a two-ton sunfish made it all worthwhile. The whole experience gave them the best and worst times of their lives.
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Mum’s Secret Diaries
A strong and moving memoir which offers a captivating and extremely rare insight into the life of an ordinary girl growing up in a British working class family in the 1950s.Mary’s secret diaries discovered by her children, chronicle her early personal life experiences, successes, challenges and hardships in an amusing and delightfully innocent way. Mary’s first diary begins in 1952 when she is an impressionable fourteen-year-old, living in Berkshire, England and continues to 1956 when she turns eighteen. Through her eyes and subsequent diary entries, she recounts the fascinating dramas of a lively, sensitive young woman navigating her way through family life, finishing grammar school, entering the workplace at fifteen, all intertwined with juggling romantic interests and aspirational dreams.Witness her day-to-day trials, happiness, and emotional struggles in a world of boys and married men, as she juggles a string of admirers, her sister’s favouritism and independence leading to a shock elopement, being forbidden to sing with a band, taking her first holiday abroad with friends where she reveals all the details of what went on, along with many other of life’s firsts.Will she ever find ‘The One,’ or manage to resist buying those beautiful high heels?The charm and honesty in which Mary regales her private life and the pickles she gets herself into, is so engaging and powerful that you can’t help but be drawn into her remarkable and totally relatable world, which additionally enlightens the reader of a bygone era of innocence, simplicity, and glamour.
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Rebirth
Picture a social misfit who has stumbled through life, making every conceivable mistake along the way. Despite his best efforts to find stability and understanding in a world that seemed to elude him, he remained stubborn and uncompromising, clinging to a deep-seated attitude of non-conformity. His headspace had no room for compromise, and as a result, he had never experienced a meaningful relationship of any kind. But unbeknownst to him, there were people working on him – not professionals, religious figures, or members of a sect – but ordinary individuals with caring hearts who must have taken pity on him. They never gave up on him, even when he gave them no reason to continue.These compassionate souls never sought gratitude or anything in return, and the dropout never offered it. Yet, he kept returning to them, knowing deep down that they were his only chance at redemption. He understood that they were always a few steps ahead, and he was constantly playing catch-up. Just when he thought he had nearly caught up, they would present him with a new challenge, leaving him frustrated at times. But it was a game he grew to love, and sometimes, when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he found himself smiling – a rare occurrence in his life. He knew that these people were catalysts for the necessary changes within him, and he embraced the journey, learning about love and the warm feeling it ignited in his chest.
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A Shower of Shite
A Shower of Shite offers a gripping biographical narrative that charts the tumultuous journey of two parents as they navigate through a relentless storm of trials brought upon by their children. Their story, akin to the dramatic arcs of a British soap opera, unfolds with tragic twists and turns, an unceasing cascade of events that would seem overdrawn if not for their stark reality. These challenges, though uninvited and not of their own making, are met with a resilience that speaks to the profound sense of duty and unwavering compassion inherent in parental love. It’s a testament to the silent oath etched in the very fabric of biological bonds, a commitment to defend, sometimes even the indefensible, against the odds, all told with a humourous look back at life events faced by the family.
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A Strange Fish Swimming in a Foreign Sea
Sierra Leone prior to and post-Independence in the early 1960s, seemed a place of tranquillity to Tim May, just twenty-one years old. He and his companions worked and played hard but Tim was labelled a failure in Freetown, in work and in health and as his manager Mr Enk said, ‘I’m sending you to manage Port Loko branch, you will bloody well sink or swim.’ It was the time-honoured treatment of a failure in the old Empire.Management was a daunting prospect, especially without a knowledge of Bank accounting, but Tim faces the future with fatalistic hope. Immature and wracked by personal problems the prospect is bleak, particularly dealing with the wily, cunning mostly Lebanese customers who grubbed a living thousands of miles from their nation’s internecine wars. It is not only the customers Tim has to combat, but the climate, diseases and general ill health and his mental state, a strange fish in a foreign sea. It seemed the bugs and creatures, the customers, his fellow expatriates and most of all his real persona all combined to defeat him.Tim though is a strong fish swimming amongst predators and escapes to fight other.
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In the Steps of Alan Turing: Working in the Digital Age
Computing has developed at an astonishing pace over the last 40 years and Professor Alty has been involved in most aspects from working at the bits/bytes level to higher level management. As a member of the Computer Board for Universities and Research Councils between 1976 and 1981, he chaired a very influential working party on microtechnology which had a major impact both in universities and in industry. One commentator wrote, “This report should be tattooed on the DTI’s backside”! In 1976, he and his team were the first to recognise that the postcode was much more important than assisting the posting of letters, and they pioneered its commercial use. He spent a great deal of effort making computers easier to use for the average person. Between 1984 and 1990, he was Executive Director of the Turing Institute for Artificial Intelligence and became very involved with artificial intelligence research around the world. Between 1990 and 2000, his research team made significant improvements to critical computer interfaces in power stations and aircraft. In the 1990s, Professor Alty examined the techniques of musical composition and showed that they could be used in computer interfaces. In 1996, he pioneered the commercial use of digital radio, producing with Roberts Radio the first successful DAB radio, one of which is on display in the British Science Museum. Finally, in 2000 he and his team performed some important research into dyslexia, which is still highly quoted even today. This book provides an interesting insight into working in the digital age.
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Evolve: The Journey of a New Me
In the depths of societal expectations and the struggles of migration, Ellie unveils a profound narrative of resilience. From a challenging first marriage in Iran to the hurdles of cultural acclimatisation in Australia, her story navigates love, loss, and self-discovery with unwavering courage. Through her experiences, Ellie invites readers to embark on their own transformative journeys.eVoLvE is a transformative non-fiction work that intertwines memoir with a universal guide to self-empowerment. Crafted by Dr Ellie Nik, this narrative traces a courageous journey through the intricacies of fighting societal norms, transcending cultural boundaries, moving continents, and discovering one’s true potential. With profound insights and heartfelt storytelling, this book serves as a beacon of inspiration for those seeking to break free from the confines of expectation and embrace the limitless possibilities of personal evolution.
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Notice Me
Notice Me is a compelling and thought-provoking book that delves into the challenging journey of living with autism, dyslexia, bullying, alcohol, and violence, and having a hearing impairment. This powerful narrative explores the experiences of individuals facing multiple adversities and their relentless pursuit of success. Through heartfelt storytelling, Notice Me offers an intimate look into the characters’ daily struggles, triumphs, and emotional turmoil. The book sheds light on the unique challenges and stigmas associated with autism, dyslexia, and hearing impairments, fostering an understanding and empathy among readers.
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Forty-Five
Once again, I find myself standing on a small piece of land, just big enough for my feet. It feels as if this land is teetering atop a tall, thin column of crumbling, rocky earth. I’m wobbling over a bottomless abyss while torrential rain pours from storm clouds that seem to hover directly above my head. Tears cascade from my eyes, and mascara runs in black rivers down my face. I can’t help but think, ‘What the hell has just happened?’I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had this moment in my life.Join me on my journey from first love to last love, before becoming single again. Cry, laugh, and perhaps relate to some of the situations I found myself in as I take a stroll down memory lane, revisiting the relationships I’ve had in my life.
£8.99
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